Day 17 Blenheim

 The Blenheim/Marlborough region is the biggest in New Zealand for growing wine and today is a Food & Wine Festival but we were advised to enjoy somewhere else as the Blenheim would be crowded and we did not have tickets!   Perhaps we should have something similar on St. Martin’s.  It was another glorious sunny day and so we decided to go back to Picton and enjoy a pleasure boat cruise (always best to keep to what you know!).  So we went along the road past many acres of vines and arrived back at the harbour to find a boat leaving a bit later doing a trip round the sounds and bays.  We joined the boat – there were about twenty of us – and we set off going round the inlets of Marlborough Sound.  We had an excellent, informative commentary from the skipper and saw shoals of fish (herrings, mullet and blue cod) and a loan furry black seal. 

 

There were various other craft on the water including their version of a mailboat which also took passengers as it delivered around the inlets.

After our tour we had some lunch and then went to another little bay around the coast, Waikawa Bay, where we sat and relaxed for a time before setting off once again to a viewing area called Karaka Point.   We admired the view, took some snaps and on reading the information board found there was an alternative route back to Blenheim apart from returning the way we came.  We decided to do the new route – BIG MISTAKE – for a time the route was twisty but on a good surface with little traffic but after a few miles it became non-metalled and so we had to drive more slowly over uneven, rutted, dusty tracks which were even more twisty and up and down steep slopes.  We were very glad to get to the end of it and I hope our carhire company don’t read this as I don’t think we are supposed to go off road.

Our evening has been uneventful.  We have had a meal although it was still busy in Blenheim and a time of relaxation.